Improvement in harvesters



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH WOODRUFF, OF RAIIWAY, NEI/V JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 28,625, dated J une 5,1860.

To all 'whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OsEPH WOODRUFF, of Rahway, in the county of Union,and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Harvesters and I do hereby declare that the following isa full and exact-description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

In the drawings similar characters refer to like parts.

Figure l is a general View in perspective. Fig. 2 is a plan view of thecutter-bar, Sac., with the cover of the knives, dac., removed.

Fig. 3 is a front view, showing` the curve of cutter-bar. Fig. 4represents the mode of preventing friction of the main shaft. Fig. 5shows wheel without cogs for driving the operatin levers.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willdescribe its coustruction and operation.

A is the frame-work, which is composed of three 'pieces of wood ofsuitable size and shape; B, the wheel-frame; G, the seat-platform, whichis hinged to the wheel-frame at a point near the axle of driving-wheelD. This wheel D has on its inner face a beveled cog-wheel, E,

vwhich drives the Operating-levers. The frame A is bolted to wheel-frameB by two bolts, a.

It will be seen (Fig. 4) that insteadof using an anti-friction washer torelieve the end-thrust of the axle F of wheel D, I use a conical center,b, which has a screw cut on it, and, passing through a female screw inplate c, is readily adjustable.

Gr is the guard or cutter-bar. In making this cutter-bar, I take a pieceof sheet-steel (or other suitable material) and stamp in itdiamond-shaped holes. I then lap the outer edge of this piece of metal,bending it across them, leaving a sufficient space between the two foldsto allow the passage of the knives. The inner edge, d, of this piece isthen bent up, forming a catch to retain plate or cover H. This plate isalso formed of a piece of sheet metal, and is kept in the requiredposition by being forced under the upper fold of the guard (whichoperates as a spring) and under the lapped points e of the guard andinside of the rim d. This barG is then bent on a true curve, as shown inFig. 3. I thus curve the guard or bar Gr, in order that the flexibleknife operated from each end may press closely down upon the stationaryknife I. (See dotted lines, Fig. 2.) This knife is held in positionsimply by pins f.

Instead of making use of stationary knife, I may sharpen the lower edgeof the guard, making it serve as a cutter.

K is the flexible knife, made of a thin sawlike blade.

The advantage in using knife or blade I is its facility of removal andrepair.

Flexible knife K has at each end slots g working over pins g', for thepurpose of keeping in its proper position. At or near each end of thisknife is attached a cord or belt, h,

which passes over and under pulleys z' and k.

L and L are the operating-levers, pivoted to the wheel-frame. They maybe pivoted to an adjustable lever. One of these levers, L, is attachedto the pulley-cord h by a small cord, l. The other lever, L', isattached to the knife by a small cord, m. IVI is a spring attached by acord, u, to the .knife for Operating one end of the same. It is betterfor levers L and L to work on a knife-edge pivot.

The bolt o is to regulate the tension of lthe spring M; N and N', alever and dog for raising or lowering the cutter-bar.

It will be seen that the angle included between the cutting-edge andline of draft, instead Of being a right angle, (asis customary,) is anobtuse angle.l It will also be seen that inasmuch as a line drawnthrough the centers of the wheels D and P is parallel to the cutterbar,and hence (since the wheels have equal diameters) the operating of theraising-lever N will equally elevate each end of the cuttcr bar.

Q is a small wheel to support the platform O, to which the shafts areattached by the rodp.

In operating my invention, motion being communicated, the wheel Eoperating the levers L and L makes them, by means of the pulleys andcords, draw first one end and then the otherof the knife K. knife fromeach end over the curved cutterbar, and from points below any point inthe curve, prevents the buckling of the knife and makes it at all pointspress closely to the cutter-bar,thus giving to the knife at all times asit reciprocates a shear cut, which is so greatly desired in a knife forharvesters, and also at the same time diminishes friction.

The drawing of the The arrangement of the levers L L', pulleys t" and k,and cords h, l, and m, for operating the reciprocating curved knife, asand for the purposes set forth and described.

JOSEPH WOODRUFF.

Witnesses:

T. G. CLAYTON, Jos. C. CLAYTON.

